Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
3 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M MEN'S BASKETBALL M i ca h S h rews b e r ry h a d b e e n building toward it for a while. H i s f i f t h -yea r se n i o r p o i n t guard, Jalen Pickett, had produced five weeks of sterling performances and, in front of a room full of Illinois beat writ- ers at State Farm Center in Champaign, the head coach had a message to deliver. Minutes after Penn State's 74-59 up- set victory over the 17th-ranked Illini on Dec. 10 — a victory in which Pickett totaled 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 as- sists — Shrewsberry did exactly that. "I'm glad I've got him. I'm glad he's on my team," Shrewsberry said during his postgame news conference. "I'm bi- ased because I've had him for two years, but I think he's the best guard in the Big Ten." Two months into the Nittany Lions' 2022-23 campaign, it would be difficult to argue otherwise. Pickett's average of 16.2 points per game led Penn State and was good for sixth in the conference as of mid-De- cember. What's more, the 6-foot-4 point guard was averaging 7.7 rebounds per game in the same span. That figure ranked eighth in the Big Ten, as did his field goal percentage (47.8), and he was also the league's runaway leader in as- sists at 7.5 per game. A preseason All- Big Ten selection, Pickett was the only player in the country averaging more than 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. At Illinois, Shrewsberry started the campaign for a broader appreciation of those talents. "Every single night, no matter who we play against, just look at his num- bers," the Lions' second-year coach said. "He's filling it up in every cat- egory. The thing that doesn't get no- ticed is, [senior swingman] Seth Lundy usually guards the best perimeter guy, and Jalen Pickett guards their next- best player. We're going to him every possession, then he's got [to defend] a guard on the other end, and he never gets a break. That's a warrior right there. I'm glad he's on my side." A Bigger Stage That Pickett is on Penn State's side took something of a leap of faith dur- ing Shrewsberry's tumultuous first DOING IT ALL Veteran guard Jalen Pickett has sparked Penn State on both ends of the floor NAT E BAU E R | NAT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M Through Penn State's first 10 games, Pickett was leading the team and was sixth in the Big Ten in scoring with an aver- age of 16.2 points per game. He was the only player in the country averaging more than 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE